Sopaul
Danish given name meaning "buttercup" or "sow" and "lively".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Sopaul. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sopaul today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sopaul births was 1991 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sopaul. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sopaul. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1991
5 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#9,437
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Sopaul: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sopaul by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sopaul during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Sopaul
The name Sopaul is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language and is derived from the words "Soma" meaning the sacred plant used in ancient Hindu rituals, and "Paul" which is a variant of the name Pavala, meaning lotus or born from the lotus. This name is thought to have roots in ancient Indian culture and Hinduism, dating back to around the 5th century BCE.
The earliest recorded mention of this name is found in the Vedic literature, specifically the Rigveda, one of the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. It is believed that the name Sopaul was given to individuals born under auspicious astrological circumstances or during religious ceremonies involving the soma plant.
In the 8th century CE, there is a record of a prominent Sanskrit scholar and poet named Sopaul who wrote extensively on the topics of grammar, poetry, and Hindu philosophy. He is believed to have been born in the year 720 CE and lived until around 790 CE.
Another notable figure with this name was Sopaul Gupta, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from the city of Patna in the 12th century. He was known for his generous donations towards the construction of temples and educational institutions in the region.
During the Mughal era in the 16th century, there was a renowned musician and composer named Sopaul Khan who was a part of the royal court of Emperor Akbar. He is credited with contributing to the development of classical Indian music during that period.
In the 18th century, Sopaul Singh was a prominent military leader and commander in the Sikh Empire under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He played a significant role in various battles and campaigns during that time.
While the name Sopaul is not as common today, it carries a rich cultural and historical significance, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, where it has been a part of various literary, artistic, and religious traditions over the centuries.
People
Sopaul + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sopaul as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sopaul: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sopaul?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sopaul going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Sopaul a common name?
We classify Sopaul as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sopaul most popular?
The single biggest year for Sopaul was 1991, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sopaul is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sopaul in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sopaul a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sopaul in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sopaul still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sopaul in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sopaul can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Sopaul?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.